ISLANDERS BEGIN PRACTICE AS THEY READY FOR 2009 SEASON

Aug 09, 2009

The 2009 version of Islander volleyball will have a new look on
and off the court and will face a challenging schedule. The
Islanders start the season on the road before returning home to
Dugan Wellness Center, the new home of the Islanders. The facility
opened in January and will be the new permanent home for all
volleyball matches. The Islanders will play host to teams in one
of the finest facilities in the Southland Conference.

With a new home court comes a new head coach. Tony Graystone
will be starting his first season with the Islanders and brings
with him a very successful record. His record of 315-61 makes him
one of just four coaches under the age of 40 with 300 career wins.
He also has the distinction of being the fastest coach to ever
reach 100 career wins, doing so in 106 matches.

The Islanders begin practice this week with the goal of
bettering last years record and competing against the tough
non-conference schedule as well as the Southland slate.

"I'm expecting us to work as hard as we can and improve
everyday." said head coach Tony Graystone. "We're going to get
ready for the start of the season to go out and win as many matches
as we can."

TAMUCC begins the season at the Sun Bowl Invitational, hosted by
UTEP in El Paso. The Islanders open the season on August 28
against Norfolk State. The next day, they play the host, UTEP, in
the first match of the day before finishing the weekend off against
Texas Southern.

Following a midweek game against Texas-Pan American, the
Islanders travel to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in the Hampton
Inn Drake Invitational on Sept. 4-5. First up in the tournament is
Valparaiso, followed by Centenary on the 4th. The following day,
TAMUCC takes on host Drake and finish the tourney against South
Dakota.

In the second week of Sept. they travel to Houston for the HBU
Husky Classic on the campus of Houston Baptist University. The
Islanders play matches against Penn and Cal State-Bakersfield on
the 11th and take on the host the following day.

The final tournament of the season for TAMUCC comes in
Nacogdoches as they participate in the SFA Ladyjack Invitational,
hosted by Southland Conference foe Stephen F. Austin. The
Islanders play against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 18 and follow that up
with a pair of matches on the 19th against SFA and Alcorn
State.

With the tournament schedule finished, the Islanders move onto
SLC action, going on the road for the first two conference matches
of the year. On Sept. 24, they take on Texas State in San Marcos
and follow that with a match two days later against UT Arlington on
Sept. 26.

"You find out a lot about not only the character but also the
personality of your team when being on the road early in the
season," said Graystone. "I'm looking forward to it, if the whole
team gets on board, we will be fine."

The Islanders return home to host their first match of the
season, a non-conference tilt against Texas-Pan American on Sept.
29. It is the first of six straight matches at home for TAMUCC.
The Islander play only three matches away from home during the
entire month of October. They host UTSA on Oct. 3, Sam Houston on
the 8th, Lamar on the 10th and SFA on the 12th.

A road trip to Lake Charles, La. to take on McNeese State on
Oct. 17 breaks up the home schedule before returning for another
pair of matches on their home court. They host Central Arkansas on
Oct. 22 and Northwestern State on the 24th. The final two matches
of the month come against Lamar in Beaumont of Oct. 30 and in
Huntsville against Sam Houston on Oct. 31 in a Halloween
matchup.

The next three matches are also on the road before returning
home for the final two matches of the season. The Islanders travel
to San Antonio on November 3rd to take on UTSA before traveling to
the eastern edge of Louisiana. They play in Hammond, La. on Nov.
6th against Southeastern Louisiana and follow it with a match the
very next day in Thibodaux, La. against Nicholls State.

The final home stand comes against UT Arlington and Texas
State. On Nov. 13, the Islanders host the Mavericks of UTA. The
next day, TAMUCC will play its final match of the season against
the Bobcats of Texas State. With a new coaching staff and many new
faces on the team, the 2009 version of the Islanders promises to be
an exciting team to watch as they look to improve their record and
finish from a season ago.

With the new season nearly here, Graystone is working with all
the players to help improve their technique and bring them all
together as a team.

"We have to get them in the habit of repeating things that are
going to help them win everyday and expect better results out of
themselves everyday," said Graystone. "We have to get the new
players to come in and hit the ground running and get on board with
what we are trying to implement as well."

"It has not been as hard as it sounds, the returnees really want
to have a good year and are working to make the most out of
it."